Doug Haller, The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, covering ASU football and Pac-12 men's basketball. I've known this is what I wanted to do for a long time. I wrote a book on the Super Bowl at age 8. (It remains unpublished.) I went to journalism school at Indiana University, where my most impressive accomplishment was getting an 'A' in Bob Knight's basketball class. Since then I've covered sports for 13 years, the last three at The Republic.

Pac-12 coaches this week are voting on all-conference honors. The awards will be announced Monday, but why wait? Here are my selections:Pac-12 Player of the Year -- Nick Johnson, Arizona.
Conference coaches have a habit of honoring the best player on the best team, and in that sense, Johnson certainly applies. Even so, that undersells his worth this season. Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring (16 points per game) and has no fear in the game's defining minutes. He also is the Pac-12's top perimeter defender, capable of guarding multiple positions. But what sets him apart is poise. Johnson doesn't rattle, a quality that will serve the Wildcats well in the NCAA Tournament, and one that gives him an edge in this race over UCLA's Kyle Anderson.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-PAC-12The conference picks a first-team of 10 players and a second-team of five. I picked three teams of five.F Aaron Gordon, Fr., Arizona.*Yes, the energetic forward often struggled offensively, but he was a handful on the boards and a menace on defense, capable of defending in the post or on the perimeter. Few teams could match his energy.G Kyle Anderson, Soph., UCLA.
*He was the Pac-12’s most consistent player, a triple-double threat every time he stepped on the court, but a recent one-game suspension didn't help his player-of-the-yearcandidacy.G Nick Johnson, Jr., Arizona.
*The most valuable player on the conference's best team.G Delon Wright, Jr., Utah.*Sometimes numbers tell the story, like in this case: In Pac-12 games, Wright, a 6-foot-5 guard, ranks fifth in scoring (17.6), 13th in rebounding (6.4), fourth in field-goal percentage (54.2), third in assists (4.9), 10th in free-throw percentage (81.2), first in steals (2.63) and seventh in blocked shots (1.63).G Justin Cobbs, Sr., California.*He hit the biggest shot of the Pac-12 season, a 17-foot fade-away in the final seconds of California's win over then No. 1 Arizona. Entering this week, Cobbs also ranked seventh in scoring in Pac-12 games (17.1 ppg), second in assists (5.63) and fourth in assist-turnover ratio (1.88). SECOND-TEAM
C Josh Scott, Soph., Colorado.
F Jordan Adams, Soph., UCLA.
G C.J. Wilcox, Sr., Washington.
G Roberto Nelson, Sr., Oregon State.
G Jahii Carson, Soph., Arizona State.
THIRD-TEAM
F Dwight Powell, Sr., Stanford.
G Jermaine Marshall, Sr., ASU
G Chasson Randle, Jr., Stanford.
G Joseph Young, Jr., Oregon.
G T.J. McConnell, Jr., Arizona.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jordan Bachynski, ASU.
Nick Johnson will get strong consideration, but Bachynski for the second consecutive season set the Pac-12 record for most blocked shots in a season. He saved three wins (Marquette, Oregon and Arizona) with blocked shots at the buzzer. Overall, he averages a nation's best 4.2 blocks, and that doesn't include all the shots he changes. That's hard to top.
ALL-DEFENSE
C Jordan Bachynski, Sr., ASU.
F Aaron Gordon, Fr., Arizona.
G Nick Johnson, Jr., Arizona.
G T.J. McConnell, Jr., Arizona.
G Delon Wright, Jr., Utah.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Aaron Gordon.
Yes, Gordon is still raw offensively, and yes, he is a disaster at the foul line. But not many Pac-12 players can impact the game at both ends the way he can.
All-FRESHMAN
F Aaron Gordon, Arizona.
F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona.
G Zach LaVine, UCLA
G Bryce Alford, UCLA
G Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington.
MOST IMPROVED -- Norman Powell, UCLA.
Washington State guard DaVonte Lacy probably will win this honor, but in my opinion, Powell is more deserving. Last year, in 22.1 minutes per game, he averaged 6.1 points, hitting double figures in just three regular-season Pac-12 contests. This season, in a similar role (25.5 minutes per game), Powell has nearly doubled his scoring average to 11.2 points per game, reaching double figures in 10 conference games. He also has improved his field-goal percentage (from 43.4 to 54) and his free-throw percentage (from 67.5 to 74.4).
COACH OF THE YEAR -- Sean Miller, Arizona.
Arizona is the Pac-12's best defensive team -- it's not even close -- and that starts with Miller. The mentality he instilled helped guide the Wildcats through their offensive struggles and the loss of starting forward Brandon Ashley, keeping them in the running for the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed. Think about this: Arizona has lost twice all season, both coming in the final seconds. As strong as the Pac-12 has been this season, that's impressive. Utah's Larry Krystkowiak and Colorado's Tad Boyle also deserve consideration.
Follow me on Twitter.

Over the last few weeks, Arizona State fans have wondered about the future of Jahii Carson, hoping the sophomore point guard decides to return to school for his junior season.
After Saturday's 78-60 win over California, ASU coach Herb Sendek said that's not happening.
"He's not coming back,'' Sendek said. "I know there was some rumblings after the last game ... but we can count on him trying to go to the NBA next year."
Carson said before the season this would be his final year in Tempe. He hasn't strayed from that decision, even though he seemed to give himself wiggle room after Wednesday's win over Stanford. In truth, Carson didn't want to take the spotlight from ASU's seniors on Senior Day.
"He had a brilliant two years here in Wells Fargo,'' Sendek said. "If you recall, he started with such expectations, almost mythological expectations after sitting out a year. He was put in a really difficult situation for a young man. I was concerned that even if he played really well, he couldn't possibly meet the expectations that people had for him. But sure enough, the bigger the stage, the brighter the lights, he handed it all with a poise and grace that was really impressive."
Many draft experts predict the 5-foot-10 Carson will go in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, but much can change over the next two months. Entering Tuesday's game at Oregon, Carson averages 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He shoots 43.6 percent from the field and 38.3 from 3-point range.
Carson sat out the 2011-12 season as a non-qualifier and it wasn't a coincidence that the Sun Devils struggled, finishing 10-21. As a red-shirt freshman, Carson was an All-Pac-12 performer and Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year, helping lead ASU to 22 wins and an NIT appearance. This season, he has the Sun Devils positioned for their first NCAA Tournament since 2009.
"He really has created a lot of publicity for our program,'' Sendek said. "There have been a lot of articles written. There's been a lot of chatter. There's been a lot of energy that has swirled around our program from the day he signed a Letter of Intent to be a Sun Devil. ... He certainly has advanced the national prominence of our program. Young prospects are able to identity with him because he does have such a well-known name in basketball circles. He's been a great asset to our program."
Follow me on Twitter.

This week in Pac-12 basketball ...
Stanford's Josh Huestis is the Pac-12 Player of the Week, but T.J. McConnell's efforts shouldn't go unnoticed. The Arizona point guard averaged 10 points, eight assists and 3.5 steals in road wins over Utah and Colorado. More impressively, the junior didn't have a turnover in 71 minutes. As much as the ball is in his hands, that's impressive, and it got me thinking: Where does this stretch -- McConnell also didn't commit a turnover in the final six minutes of the Arizona State loss -- rank among college basketball's top point guards? I went through about 20, and here's what I found:
"Really, from the onset T.J. has taken care of the ball,” Arizona coach Sean Miller told Tucson reporters. “It’s like a college quarterback. As much as you trust him, as responsible as he is, as well as he may see the field, there’s always those games where he makes a bad decision or the defense plays great and because of that has a few uncharacteristic turnovers. ... (But) you can’t put a value on how well he runs our team and how much easier the game is because he’s out there playing that way, not to mention his steals. You think about the steals he had, the assists he had, and there wasn’t a point guard last week who played better than he played for us.”
McConnell has a chance to add to his turnover streak tonight against California.
POWER RANKINGSALL-PAC-12 (if the season ended today ... )
F Kyle Anderson, Soph., UCLA (14.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.9 apg).
F Aaron Gordon, Fr., Arizona (11.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg).
G Nick Johnson, Jr., Arizona (16 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
G Justin Cobbs, Sr., California (15.9 ppg, 6.1 apg).
G Delon Wright, Jr, Utah (16.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.4 apg).
Five more: Roberto Nelson, Oregon State; C.J. Wilcox, Washington; Jordan Adams, UCLA; Jahii Carson, ASU; Dwight Powell, Stanford.
Follow me on Twitter.

Funny how quickly things change. Last week at this time, Arizona State inched closer to its first AP Top 25 ranking in five years. Today, the Sun Devils are coming off a miserable 0-2 road trip, one that sucked all the momentum from the Valentine's Day win over Arizona. Sunday's 86-63 loss at Utah dropped the Sun Devils to 19-8 and 8-6 in the Pac-12. It also may have affected ASU's Pac-12 and NCAA Tournament seeding. With two weeks left in the regular season, let's examine where the Sun Devils stand:Weekend review: There's no shame in losing at Colorado and Utah. Both are difficult places to play. Colorado is 16-2 in Boulder. Utah is 17-2 in Salt Lake City with both losses coming in overtime. It's how it happened that's concerning. Five days after getting beaten by 19 on the boards against Arizona, the Sun Devils were minus-21 against Colorado, their worst rebounding effort in 253 games under Sendek. Complicating matters: The Sun Devils shot terribly in both losses, 31.5 percent at Colorado and 30.8 at Utah. Both rank among the worst six shooting performances during Sendek's time in Tempe. Adding to the misery, Utah shot 53.8 percent against ASU (60.5 from 2-point range), which means the Sun Devils pretty much stunk in every phase.
NCAA Tournament chances: Despite the lost week, ASU remains in good shape. After Sunday's loss, the Sun Devils' RPI ranking dropped three spots to 34. They have three Top 50 RPI wins (over No. 26 Colorado, No. 41 Oregon and No. 2 Arizona), and their computer rankings are decent. ASU is No. 33 in Sagarin, No. 38 in ESPN's BPI and No. 42 on KenPom.com. Bottom line: If the season ended today, ASU likely would start the NCAA Tournament as a 9, 10 or 11 seed.
Pac-12 Tournament: With four regular-season games to go, the Sun Devils still have a chance to finish in the conference's top four, which would give them a first-round bye in next month's Pac-12 Tournament. A bye would benefit ASU in two ways. 1). Without one, the Sun Devils would have to win four games in four days to win the tournament title. This has happened just once -- Colorado in 2012 -- in the tournament's 16-year history. 2). Jermaine Marshall's health. The senior guard -- ASU's second-leading scorer -- had surgery to correct a torn patella tendon during his red-shirt freshman season at Penn State and the knee still gets sore. Throughout the season, ASU's training staff has done a terrific job managing the pain, but this could become an issue if Marshall has to play four games in four days.
The next two weeks: Of ASU's final four regular-season games, none are expected to be easy. This week, Stanford and California invade Wells Fargo Arena. Like ASU, both schools are fighting for a first-round Pac-12 Tournament bye. From there, the Sun Devils close out the regular-season with trips to Oregon and Oregon State. Oregon is fighting for its NCAA Tournament life, so it will view the March 4 game as a must win. Oregon State has lost three of four, but its March 8 game against the Sun Devils is Senior Day, a final send-off to guard Roberto Nelson, forward Devon Collier and center Angus Brandt. So, yeah, if ASU doesn't shape up, this has the potential to get ugly.
ISSUES1. Urgency. Regardless of their NCAA resume, the Sun Devils need to play with desperation, and there was not much to be found against Colorado and Utah. It's telling that ASU's three most productive players against Utah were the three who played with the most energy: Senior wing Shaquielle McKissic (16 points, five rebounds), junior guard Bo Barnes (11 points, seven rebounds) and freshman wing Egor Koulechov (11 points, eight rebounds).
2. Shooting. It comes down to this: When the Sun Devils shoot 43 percent or better, they're 16-0. Everything below that mark, they're 3-8. In Pac-12 games, the Sun Devils are shooting 41.6 percent, which ranks 11th among conference teams.
3. Leadership. Carrick Felix was an outstanding defender last season, but he also was a great leader. (Assistant coach Larry Greer called Felix the best leader he's seen in 20 years of coaching). This season, ASU doesn't have a similar voice in the locker room, and it shows. Sometimes a kick in the butt needs to come from someone wearing the same uniform.
4. Jahii Carson. The sophomore point guard continues to score, but he has another gear, and we haven't seen it in a while. Outside of his scoring, Carson's production in Pac-12 games has dipped. Entering this week, he is shooting 37.4 percent in conference games, including just 24.4 percent from 3-point range. He's getting to the foul line (8 times a game), but making just 65.8 percent of those attempts. He's rebounding well (4.6 per game), but hasn't done much to make his teammates better. In conference play, Carson averages 3.9 assists and 4.1 turnovers. The issues: Opponents are loading up on Carson's strong right hand, forcing him left, where he is not as comfortable. They're also forcing him to make jump shots, something he hasn't consistently done. As a result, Carson looks like he's lost confidence.
5. Consistency. To win, ASU needs its big three -- Carson, Marshall and senior center Jordan Bachynski -- to play well. In the Colorado and Utah losses, Bachynski averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds , while Marshall averaged 7 and 1.5. He missed 13 of 15 from 3-point range and didn't get to the foul line once.
Follow me on Twitter.

This Pac-12 season has had several clutch performances. California's Justin Cobbs hit a winning jumper to topple then-No. 1 Arizona. Washington State's Que Johnson drilled a 3-pointer to force overtime against Colorado. Most recently, Arizona State's Jermaine Marshall scored eight points in 80 seconds to defeat Arizona.
So who's the conference's most clutch performer?
That's tough to figure, but I gave it my best shot. Being "clutch" is more than just hitting a winning shot. It's carrying a team down the stretch, bringing it back from a deficit or simply producing with the game on the line. I went back through each conference game and charted the final five minutes, plus overtime. Here are the Pac-12's top producers in those situations:
As you can see, Washington State's DaVonte Lacy leads the Pac-12, scoring 5.8 points in the final five minutes of games (plus overtime). But that's misleading because Lacy has played in only six Pac-12 contests because of injuries. Half of the players on this list are point guards, which isn't surprising. The ball is in their hands, and in the closing minutes, they're most likely to put up a quick 3-point attempt if trailing or get fouled if leading.
But pay attention to the shooting numbers. ASU's Marshall is shooting 65.2 percent in the final five minutes (plus overtime), hitting 6 of 8 from 3-point range. California's Cobbs is shooting 59.4 percent from the field and Washington freshman guard Nigel Williams-Goss is shooting 57.8, hitting 8 of 9 from 3-point range.
To me, they are the Pac-12's top players in crunch time.
THREE SECONDS1. Check out the above photo. I snapped this Friday night a few seconds after sophomore point guard Jahii Carson put an exclamation point on ASU's win over No. 2 Arizona with a rim-hanging dunk. This set off a wild celebration at Wells Fargo Arena, with ASU players and students rushing the court. As you can see from the bottom of the photo, Arizona coach Sean Miller is on one side, huddled with his staff. On the other, ASU coach Herb Sendek is huddled with officials. Both are learning the game is not yet over -- a fraction of a second remained on the clock. By now, of course, everyone knows how this turned out. Was the interruption a big deal? Maybe not. But ESPN.com reported Arizona may push for an end to court-storming after the season. This, after all, marked the second time it's happened to the Wildcats in two weeks. Maybe next time they should simply in-bound the ball as quickly as possible and force the officials to call a technical foul for fans and/or bench players being on the court. Don't laugh, it's happened before. On Dec. 31, 2009, a Washington State reserve ran onto the court to celebrate after teammate De'Angelo Casto appeared to sink the winning shot against Oregon. Only problem: 2 seconds remained on the clock. The Cougars received a technical foul and lost in double-overtime.
2. Arizona's free-throw issues are well-documented, but even so, they don't seem to be improving. The No. 4 Wildcats missed 14 of 30 in last Friday's double-overtime loss at ASU. Since making 16 of 16 in the Feb. 1 loss at California, Arizona is 50 of 88 (56.8 percent). Overall, the Wildcats shoot 65.7 percent from the foul line. Of this week's AP Top 25 teams, only No. 6 San Diego State (65.4), No. 14 Virginia (65.2) and No. 22 Memphis (65.4) are worse. Teams can still shoot poorly from the foul line and win conference championships, but it's not ideal. Here's how the last 10 Pac-12 champs have fared from the line:
3. Stanford's Anthony Brown on Saturday did something that hasn't been done in the Pac-12 in nearly six years. He scored 30 points on just 10 field-goal attempts. In a 69-56 win at Washington State, Brown made 8 of 10 from the field, 4 of 6 from 3-point range and 10 of 11 from the foul line. The junior guard had some luck. In the first half, he banked in a 3-pointer from the corner, something you don't see often. "I'm jealous,'' Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "From where I was standing, which was essentially the far end, I had to do a double take. I was like, 'Did that ball hit the backboard?' I don't think if you tried that a million times it'd go in once. He was just having one of those nights." A Pac-12 player hasn't scored 30 points on such few attempts since Oregon's Marty Leunen did so on March 3, 2008. In an 80-68 win over Oregon State, Leunen scored 32 points, hitting 8 of 10 from the field, 7 of 8 from 3-point range and 9 of 12 from the foul line.
POWER RANKINGSALL-PAC-12 (if the season ended today ...)
F Kyle Anderson, Soph., UCLA (15.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.8 apg)
F Aaron Gordon, Fr. Arizona, (11.8 ppg, 8 rpg)
G Nick Johnson, Jr., Arizona (15.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
G Justin Cobbs, Sr, California (16 ppg, 6 apg).
G Jahii Carson, Soph., ASU (18.9 ppg, 4.8 apg).
Next five: Delon Wright, Utah; Roberto Nelson, Oregon State; C.J. Wilcox, Washington; Jordan Adams, UCLA; Jordan Bachynski, C, ASU.
Follow me on Twitter.

What a wild Friday night in Tempe. Arizona State's 69-66 double-overtime win over No. 2 Arizona produced 16 lead changes and nine ties. Neither team led by more than six points. In the end, the Sun Devils registered their best win (rankings-wise) in the 40-year history of Wells Fargo Arena.
Five takeaways:
1. Jermaine Marshall is clutch.
It's not so much that the ASU senior guard matched a career-high with 29 points; it's that he did so against one of the nation's top defenses. Just five days earlier, Arizona had held Pac-12 leading scorer Roberto Nelson of Oregon State to 10 points (11 below his average) on 3-of-12 shooting. According to my review of the contest, four Arizona players defended Marshall on 66 half-court possessions. Here's how Marshall fared:
Keep in mind Arizona's Nick Johnson might be the Pac-12's top perimeter defender. The 6-3 junior guard limited Marshall outside, but the 6-4 Marshall went at him in the lane, causing Arizona coach Sean Miller to make a switch. With 10 minutes to go in the second half, after Marshall drew Johnson's third foul, he put 6-7 freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on Marshall. For the rest of regulation and the first overtime, the move worked. Marshall went scoreless over that stretch, missing all five shots.
In the second overtime, however, Marshall rescued the Sun Devils. He has hit big shots before. On Jan. 29, he hit a 3 with 19 seconds left to force overtime in a win at California. Last week, he scored 10 points in the final five minutes to help hold off Oregon. Friday night against Arizona, Marshall scored eight points in the final 94 seconds: two 3-pointers which helped erase a four-point Arizona lead, and the game winner. On the deciding play, Miller put Johnson back on Marshall, sticking Hollis-Jefferson on sophomore point guard Jahii Carson. Getting the ball at the key, Marshall drove left on Johnson and muscled in a shot at the rim.
"I give him a lot of credit," Miller said. "He is a phenomenal player."
Marshall, a Penn State transfer, has scored 25 or more points eight times over the last two years. And it's not like he has done so against weak competition. Four have come against Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA and Arizona.
2. Bachynski is the Pac-12's top defender.
For most of the season, Arizona's Johnson has been considered the frontrunner for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. That should change. Jordan Bachynski has blocked 24 shots over ASU's last three games. Those contests were decided by a combined nine points. Two went to overtime. That's a difference maker. Bachynski didn't play his best Friday -- he didn't have a rebound in the first half-- but his defense at this point appears slump-proof. Against the Wildcats, he was credited with eight blocked shots, including T.J. McConnell's runner in the lane with six seconds left that preserved ASU's win.
3. Arizona has issues on offense.
The Wildcats' offensive struggles are putting too much pressure on their defense. Over their last six games, they have shot better than 40 percent just once. Friday night, Arizona shot 35.9 percent against the Sun Devils. Johnson shot 5 of 20, with one field goal coming on a break-away dunk. Over the last four contest, the All-American candidate is shooting just 15 of 60 (25 percent.) Contributing to this: Arizona's troubles from the foul line. The Wildcats missed 14 of 30 Friday night. Since making 16 of 16 on Feb. 1 at Cal, they are 50 of 88 (56.8 percent). That makes it hard to win close games on the road.
4. End-game situations need to be addressed.
Every coach in America needs to remind its team: No celebrating until you hear the buzzer. ASU was fortunate Friday. After Bachynski's block in the final seconds, Carson tried to put an exclamation point on the program's biggest win under coach Herb Sendek with an emphatic dunk. Nothing wrong with that except he hung on the rim for a couple seconds in celebration. Since the clock showed 0.5 seconds, the officials could've -- and maybe should've -- slapped him with a technical foul. The other issue: Along with fans, the ASU bench stormed the court in celebration with time still left. The officials told ESPN's broadcasting crew they did not whistle a technical foul because they had stopped play after Carson's dunk. Perhaps a future crew won't do the same.
5. Both teams are in good shape.
In improving to 19-6 and 8-4 in the Pac-12, the Sun Devils no longer have to worry about a signature win. As long as they don't completely collapse over the final three weeks, they'll earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2009. (Realtime RPI lists the Sun Devils with a 28 ranking). And despite the loss, Arizona still remains a strong candidate for a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats (23-2 and 10-2) still have one of the nation's strongest resumes with just two losses, both coming on final possessions. The road ahead, however, won't be easy. Both schools visit Colorado and Utah this week, followed by home games against Stanford and California before a regular-season ending road trip to the Oregon schools.
Follow me on Twitter.

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.